July Golf Up North Newsletter Banner. Image of a golf course fairway with the words Golf Up North, July 1, 2024, Vol. 7-24. We Made it Simple. golfupnorth.comWelcome to our July Newsletter!

Congratulations to
Carl H.

You are the winner of the June Newsletter – You submitted the correct answer –

It was the GPS Cart yelling at me at my happy place!

Thank you for including your address. Your Golf Up North Schwag is on the way!

Bonus Question Winner

I messed that one up big time. I should have given a little better instructions about clicking on the picture and zooming in. Because of my vague information we have sent schwag to the first person that responded for the bonus. His answer like others made perfect sense. The oops could have been wearing cargo shorts to a country club (apparently it is frowned upon). So, the first person to respond to the questions was:

Jan L.

Cavalier Yacht and Golf Club Oops image. Shows a cart in the pond with zoomed in look in the picture too.Your address was included in your email and your schwag is on the way.

What the OOPS really was

I posted a picture of the course at Patrick’s club and if you clicked on the picture and zoomed in you would have seen what I was referring to. Below is the original image with a zoomed in image of what I was talking about. Sorry to be so confusing.

The white truck to the right pulled the cart out of the pond while we were on the green. Someone had just a little too much fun. 😊

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GPS Carts are not the Yugo’s of Golf Carts

Raise your hand if you know what a Yugo is?

I drove a GPS enabled cart for 18 holes when I golfed alone last month and I found that I actually liked them. The yardage and the flyover video approaching the green and the pop up of the green with arrows all over the place does not mean much to me but I know some of you use that data in club, swing speed, etc. I have a pretty good idea of what each of my clubs are capable of IF I were to hit them correctly. Since hitting correctly is a hit or miss type of thing (pun intended) I do not pay much attention to those numbers.

What I did like was at any given moment I could see the time, what hole we were on and what par was. I do not take my readers on the course, I have my drivers for well, driving – balls and cars. 😊 I cannot read the scorecard because of the small print. If I am playing a course that I am unfamiliar with it is nice to have that information in a larger typeface with just glance up.

I was surprised that it was fairly easy to stay within the GPS fencing. The golf cart did not yell at me once and the allowed area was very reasonable as well. I have mentioned before my back and hip issues and for the most part golfing helps me manage the pain, other than when there are a series of elevated tees or greens that are made worse by having to park a distance away. This is rarely the case, but the grumbling I was hearing suggested that my home course may not work for my body anymore. The grumblers were wrong!

I had a wonderful time golfing alone for the most part. A single behind kept bothering me to let him golf with me. I kept saying there is a reason I am golfing alone and not with my husband. He was relentless. Decided he was an annoying kid and I went into Mom mode and just ignored him after that.

I came home thinking I broke a 100 again with a 95, I was wrong. The new scorecards no longer have a place for the back nine score. I saw the empty column (again cannot read the small print on the scorecards without my readers) and assumed that was where I put the back 9 score.

Walked in the door announced my 95 threw the score card on my desk and went about my business. Later with my readers on I picked up the scorecard and saw I never wrote my score for the 18th hole. That hole is a par 4, was on in regulation and then 3 putted for a darn 5. Still a solid 100 is pretty good for me, I will take it!

Rainy June

June was a rainy month here in Northern Michigan and it could not decide if it was going to be scorching hot (my favorite) or cool. I was not able to get a lot of golf in. Guy is thinking of buying new clubs as is another family member and I thought well since I can’t golf I can do some research for them.

I have been bugging Guy to get a new set FITTED. I have offered them as a gift, I have suggested he take a buddy, I have nagged him about it. You would think this man would appreciate having a wife who nags him to buy golf clubs. 😊

Of course as I am researching I decide to turn my notes into articles. I am careful not to “test” and “recommend” brands, models, etc. because we all know I do not have the skill level or knowledge base to be advising anyone about anything golf. LOL

These articles are more the 20,000-foot view, what to look for, things to consider, very broad information. That said, even if I were an expert I would not recommend any specific clubs. I have watched Guy, his friends and my sons burn through drivers because so and so loved a certain driver, then to only to find out it was not the right club for them.

To me buying golf clubs is the same as buying a purse. Very personal, I know what feels comfortable in my hands. If you are interested in what I discovered you can click on the links below.

Unlock Your Potential with Fitted Golf Clubs

Golf Club Buying Guide

Golfing in the Up Middle

My Up North raised son who lives in SE Michigan has a cottage in Lake, Michigan (a little north of Farwell). He refers to their cottage as being in the Up Middle. LOL They invited us to come down this past weekend.

Last time we went to their cottage we golfed along the way in Cadillac in the pouring rain at Lakewood on the Green. You can read about that trip in our August 2023 issue.

This time we headed straight there and golfed the next morning at The Tamarack Golf Course in Harrison. It was a challenging and fun course and I will be talking about it in an upcoming issue even though the Tamarack is not in our Up North footprint.

Although, there are some that argue that Harrison is up north. Many, claim up north starts in Clare, the “Gateway to the North”. Where do you think up north begins? Did an article about that a couple of years ago – Where does up north begin? I do not think folks will ever agree because for many it depends on where you start from.

Did You Know?

That Phil Mickelson is right-handed but golfs with his left?

Mickelson mirrored his dad’s golf swing. His dad was left-handed, therefore he swung with his left hand. One of my sons is right handed and naturally bats left handed (learned to bat right handed as well eventually). He thinks if we had bought him left hand clubs he would be a scratch golfer, eh, maybe. LOL

I know there are strong opinions about Mickelson out there, but he made a video about how to chip that I watched and it made a big difference in my chip shots. So, I will always have a soft spot for him.

Northern Michigan has the BEST Golf Courses!

Back in early June I ran across an article in Golf Digest while looking for different information for my friend Adam. The article was about the best states for public golf and Michigan was #2 tied with California. It definitely surprised me because of the shorter season we have, but then #1 was Wisconsin, so what do I know? 😊

Anyways, reading further I saw that the ranking was based on the 100 greatest public courses in the country and how many were in each state. Wisconsin had 10, Michigan and California each had 9. Of the 9 Michigan courses that were ranked in the top 100 country wide, there were SEVEN that are in Northern Michigan. Northern Michigan courses are in bold.

Golf Digest also ranked Michigan’s best courses and Michigan’s best public courses. You can read the entire article I wrote at Northern Michigan’s Best Courses!

The guys are Staying at the Tullymore Golf Resort for Fish Camp this month. Even though not Up North, I am curious to hear what they think. I see the resort suggested a lot in many of my golf groups.

Plans Change

We had to reschedule our trip to Gaylord last month to golf Michaywe Pines Course with another couple. The weather was uncooperative, it was rainy and cold. We are rescheduling for later in the summer. Will update about this course in a later newsletter.

The U.P. trip is still in the plans. It may be later in the season with family visiting this summer. Excited to have the Virginia grandkids (and their parents) coming for a visit.

Golf Quote of the Month

I chose this quote this month because my solo trip was just for this reason. I was having a rough day and going to the golf course helps me feel better.

Man walking off a green carry his golf clubs. The images says "Golf has probably kept more people sane than psychiatrists have." - Harvey Penick

 

Harvey Penick was a professional golfer and coach. He coached many Hall of Fame players and was inducted himself in 2002, seven years after his death. He gave lessons to Ben Crenshaw from his deathbed. Crenshaw served as a pallbearer at Penick’s funeral. The day after the funeral Crenshaw played the first round of the 1995 Masters Tournament. After winning the tournament, he said “I had a 15th club in my bag”, meaning Penick, cause we all know that you can only have 14 clubs in your bag. I love this story!

Click here to see all the pictures we have taken of courses over the years.

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